MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Support us financially by purchasing this from

Sir Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924)
String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 44 (1891) [29:33]
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 45 (1891) [26:41]
String Quartet No. 6 in A minor, Op. 122 (1910) [22:45]
Dante Quartet
rec. 2019, St Nicholas Parish Church, Thames Ditton, UK
SOMM RECORDINGS SOMMCD0607 [79:17]

Previously, the Dante Quartet has focused on Stanford’s later quartets before now returning to the first two, recorded memorably by the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet on Hyperion a number of years ago [CDA67434 but reissued on Helios CDH55459]. They have added the considerable bait of his previously unrecorded Sixth Quartet.

This second studio recording of the First Quartet offers a slight recalibration of approach. The RTÉ Vanbrugh stresses the first movement’s classicism rather more overtly than the Dante, who prefer to streamline it somewhat, to absorb it into the work’s very voluble and rather pluralistic line. Hence there is copious lyricism in the opening movement, then a cleverly varied Scherzo, the long-breathed beauty of the slow movement and a folk-like Gigue to conclude the musical argument. Given their church acoustic, the Dante plays with sonorous verve and eloquence. Composed the same year (1891) the Second Quartet, reveals Stanford’s contrapuntal strengths as much as his easy-going thematic writing – the second theme of the first movement is a classic case in point - and the Dante’s clear enjoyment of the writing. They take this opening movement at a significantly faster tempo than their colleagues in the RTÉ Vanbrugh though with no obvious loss in flexibility of expression. If I single out first violinist Krysia Osostowicz for her playing in the occasionally turbulent and unstable slow movement, it’s really only to draw attention to the many instrumental and collective felicities of this reading as a whole. And that’s certainly the case in in the crisp rhythmic impetus coursing through the very Dvořák-inspired finale.

The Sixth Quartet dates from 1910 and is heard in an edition prepared by Jeremy Dibble. It’s in three movements. The first is gutsy, with an unsettled quality almost throughout, driving ever onwards, at least until it slows reflectively towards the end. The light elements of the slow movement enshrine strong contrasts before Stanford launches the crisp and crunchy Allegro Scherzando that ends the work. Here’s there’s a delightful dance section and some contrapuntal vitality – shades of the opening movement of Quartet No.2 – to ensure a maximum quotient of excitement.

Jeremy Dibble writes the customarily authoritative booklet notes, as he did for the Hyperion release. The cycle of Stanford’s Quartets has now been completed in excellent style.

Jonathan Woolf

Previous review: John Quinn



Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing